Department of Sanitation cleans up vacant lot turned dumping ground

The Department of Sanitation has cleaned up a vacant lot on West 5th Street that residents say has become an illegal dumping ground filed with

BENSONHURST - The Department of Sanitation has cleaned up a vacant lot on West 5th Street that residents say has become an illegal dumping ground filed with raccoons, rats and mosquitoes.

Before today, residents say they couldn't even stand on the sidewalk because it was covered in all kinds of trash. They say although the Department of Sanitation has cleaned up the mess, the lot has been giving them all sorts of problems.

The Department of Sanitation says the property has been cited for 19 violations since 2009 and it has referred the site to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.